Newslinks for Monday 25th January 2016

Number Ten accused of pressuring Tory MPs to join pro-EU group

“The Tory ceasefire on Europe was crumbling yesterday as MPs attacked the Prime Minister for trying to strong-arm them into the referendum ‘In’ campaign and being too feeble in his EU renegotiation demands. They accused No 10 of pressuring MPs to join the pro-EU Conservatives for Reform in Europe group, led by ex-minister Nick Herbert.” – Daily Mail

Trevor Kavanagh: Remain or Leave, the game is up for the EU

“The “Grand Project” is crumbling under pressure from mass immigration, economic and political paralysis and – to complete a perfect storm – a looming global slowdown. By a stroke of sheer good luck – plus the English Channel – Britain stands alone among its 28 member states with the option to defend itself from catastrophe. The tide has turned against Brussels with quite astonishing speed, leaving David Cameron scrambling to find a last-minute deal to keep us in.” – The Sun

Chancellor and billionaire team up to cure malaria

“British taxpayers are to fund the bulk of a £3 billion pledge delivered today by George Osborne and Bill Gates to wipe out malaria within decades. The Microsoft tycoon will travel to Liverpool with the chancellor to see groundbreaking scientific research into drugs, diagnostics and insecticides as Mr Osborne locks in support from Britain’s aid budget until at least 2020.” – The Times (£)

George Osborne and Bill Gates: It’s a fight we can win together

“Today we will be travelling together to the front line of the battle against the world’s deadliest killer. A front line that is not far away, but right here in the UK, in the northern powerhouse, in Liverpool. When it comes to human tragedy, no creature comes close to the devastation caused by the mosquito.” – The Times (£)

MPs criticise Osborne’s deal with Google

“George Osborne faced mounting anger last night over a so-called sweetheart deal with Google that allowed it to pay just £130million in taxes dating back a decade… But the amount was branded ‘derisory’ in light of the fact that the firm racked up sales of £4.5billion in Britain in 2014 alone.” – Daily Mail

May under pressure over Met Commissioner contract

“The Home Secretary was last night facing calls to block a contract extension for the head of Scotland Yard amid growing fury over his refusal to apologise to ‘hounded’ 92-year-old war hero Lord Bramall. As a Cabinet minister joined calls for a ‘proper apology’ to the ex-Army chief over the Met’s child sex abuse ‘witch-hunt’, it emerged Theresa May wants Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to be Commissioner for at least two more years.” – Daily Mail

MPs criticise 38 Degrees for hijacking BBC consultation

“A survey on the public’s opinion of the BBC was so hijacked by a Left-wing campaign group that the Government has decided to hold a second one. Some 192,000 responses were received during the first consultation asking about possible changes to the size and role of the Corporation ahead of charter renewal. But 177,000 of them – 92 per cent – were whipped up by campaign group 38 Degrees, which sent a series of leading emails to its members encouraging them to take part.” – Daily Mail

Tories can engineer snap election to crush Labour

“The legislation, known as the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, allows any party with a straight majority in the Commons to force an election if it loses two confidence votes in a row. This was impossible in the last parliament because the Tories were in a minority. They now have an overall majority, meaning that the party could all but ensure that a vote of no confidence is passed, triggering an early dissolution of parliament.” – The Times (£)

“Jeremy Corbyn has called for asylum-seekers waiting in makeshift camps in Calais to be welcomed into Britain, triggering anger among his MPs. The Labour leader concluded a two-day visit to France by urging the British government to follow the example of Germany, which has allowed in a million migrants in a year.” – The Times (£)

Corbyn claims Government is ‘not doing anything’ about the refugee crisis – The Times (£)

David Goodhart: What is the key to integrating newcomers?

“The law – everything from anti-discrimination law to rules governing marriage visas or the outlawing of FGM – can act as a weak integrationist force. But there are at least three other tools to promote it: nudge; the power of good examples; and public approval/disapproval.” – Daily Telegraph

Corbyn 2) Opponents divided over ‘suicide’ coup

“Moderate Labour MPs are divided over whether to attempt to oust Jeremy Corbyn after the May local elections, with senior party figures trying to cool talk of an early coup. Some Labour figures want Michael Dugher, who was sacked from the shadow cabinet on January 5, or another big name to mount a “suicide” challenge to make clear their unhappiness at Mr Corbyn’s leadership.” – The Times (£)

Leader’s Trident position shared by less than a quarter of the Shadow Cabinet – Daily Telegraph

Corbyn 3) Sturgeon claims Labour government is ‘not credible’

“Nicola Sturgeon has said a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government is not a “credible notion”. The Scottish First Minister made the comments while discussing the Trident nuclear weapons program on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. She told Marr: “I don’t think Labour as a government right now is a credible notion in any sense, but that’s not for me to sort out, I’m afraid it’s for Labour.”” – The Independent

Welsh Labour refuse to repeat 2011 tuition fees pledge

“Opposition parties have described current arrangements – under which the Welsh Government pays £5,190 a year towards undergraduates’ £9,000 tuition fees wherever in the UK they study – as unsustainable. Now Labour has confirmed it will not be able to set out the details of any future commitment on funding until a review panel chaired by Professor Sir Ian Diamond publishes its final report in Autumn 2016.” – Wales Online

Straw accused of advising clients how to dodge FoI

“Jack Straw, who sits on the panel reviewing freedom of information laws, is accused of advising a paying client on how to avoid them. The former cabinet minister worked as a consultant for ED&F Man, one of Britain’ s largest commodity traders, for which he was paid £60,000 a year.” – Daily Mail

Restricting freedom of information betrays all of us – Jonathan Isaby, The Times (£)

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